Cole, William Herbert Cyril (Warrant Officer 2nd Class)

Killed in Flying Accident 1942-November-09

Warrant Officer 2nd Class William Herbert Cyril Cole RCAF

Birth Date: 1917

Born:

Parents: William George & Jean Cole

Spouse:

Home: Vancouver, British Columbia (parents)

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: unkown date

Service

RCAF

Unit

1 GPEU- Glider Pilots Exercise Unit (RAF)

Base

RAF Shrewton

Rank

Warrant Officer 2nd Class

Position

Pilot

Service Numbers

R/103695

Final Burial
Google MapBrookwood Military Cemetery
grave 33 G 6

Hector serial: K9781

Hawker Hector (Source Wikipedia)

The Hawker Hector was a British biplane army co-operation and liaison aircraft of the late 1930s; it served with the Royal Air Force and saw brief combat in the Battle of France in May 1940. Some Hectors were later sold to Ireland. It was named after the Trojan prince Hector.

The Hector was intended as a replacement for the Hawker Audax army co-operation aircraft. The design and the building of the prototype was done by Hawker but production aircraft were built by Westland Aircraft in Yeovil, Somerset. Because of the demand for Rolls-Royce Kestrel engines required for the Hawker Hind programme, an alternative power plant was specified. Consequently, the 24 cylinder 805 hp (600 kW) Napier Dagger III was used. The prototype first flew on 14 February 1936 with George Bulman as pilot. One prototype and 178 production aircraft were built. Wikipediae

Unvetted Source Harold Skaarup Web Page

YouTube Hector

Wikipedia Wikipedia Hector

Unit Desciption

1 GPEU (Glider Pilot Exercise Unit)

No. 1 Glider Pilot Exercise Unit (GPEU), Royal Air Force, Netheravon (satellite Shrewton): formed at Netheravon on 12 August 1942 by redesignating No. 296B Squadron to prepare glider pilots and crews for airborne operations, with Hawker Harts and Hinds, Tiger Moths, Masters, Hotspurs and Horsas; disbanded on 1 December 1943 to become the Operational and Refresher Training Unit at Thruxton (Wikipedia, No. 240 Operational Conversion Unit RAF; the list of RAF glider units). The Wikipedia pages give no number: 'No. 1' is from the casualty record of Flight Sergeant Cole (which says Glider Pilot Experience Unit).